Children of the Dragon
by Azenor Sage
Summary: Launch/Kushami has been plagued for a few weeks by resurfacing memories of her childhood. Can she unravel the strange mystery of her past?
1. Chapter 1

Children of the Dragon

 _This is the first time I have ever written a fanfic. I have been having a great deal of fun with the attempt and I hope that it is an enjoyable read to any who chooses to give this story a try._

 _Premise: I am a fan of the Dragon Ball series and I really liked the character Launch (also known as Kushami or Lunch, depending on what language version of the series you are dealing with). I have often thought though that it was strange that she could sneeze and become a completely different person. Then one day this story came to me._

Chapter 1

Nighttime stole over the mountains, the sun slowly began to set and Kushami shivered from her position before the door of the capsule home. She made no move to return within doors though. Her boys were still training outside and though her initial intention had been to call them inside to eat dinner, she now found herself loathe to interrupt their training. She smiled as she glanced at her boys, eagerly sparring, trying so hard to get stronger. Tien's motivations were simple enough. He wanted to defeat Goku.

She sighed, a soft sigh of longing as she watched him, muscles rippling under smooth flesh. He was a glorious sight to behold. She certainly never tired of watching him train. She had changed too. This she acknowledged with only mild discomfort. Living in the mountains with Tien had made her happy. She had felt less of a need to be on the move, to steal, to cheat people. As if deep down that had never been what she had really wanted to do anyway.

She frowned as she pondered that. She couldn't remember when she had begun to steal. She had no idea what had happened to her that could create such a void of missing memories within her. She used to tell herself that it didn't matter. That if she had ever had a family they must have run out on her a long time ago. She didn't want to admit that maybe she had run out on them.

Of late she had begun to feel this sense as though she was forgetting something that was terribly important. She had failed somehow. Failed to remember what was important? Or was it that she had failed to do a specific task? She didn't know but she gritted her teeth against the vicious headache that was beginning to attack her as she thought on her failure. Every single time her mind broached this particular subject she felt the intense pressure begin to build in her head. It was as though it were a deterrent, a block of some kind. Like the road blocks the police use to try to put out for her when trying to catch her.

"I hate blocks." She muttered to herself as she ran a shaky hand through her strawberry blond tresses. Then she allowed herself to look once more at the sky. She felt an ominous feeling over take her as she stared at the dual colors. To the west of her the sun was setting. It was a deep red blazing ball in a sky painted orange, pink, and indigo. Meanwhile the east held shades of blue and deep purple. She could see a star twinkling in the sky, the first star.

She shivered as she remembered a voice from long ago explaining that that star was the Dragon Star. "The Dragon Star." Kushami whispered as she stared with longing at the bright star. She knew the voice; it was so familiar to her. She felt as though the person had once held her close, told her stories.

"Kushami!" Chiaotzu called out to her as he flew toward her and landed a few paces from where she stood.

The blond slowly shook herself from her thoughts and reluctantly pulled her eyes away from the bright star. "Hey kiddo. Looked like you boys were doing good there today. Ready to eat?"

Chiaotzu nodded his head and smiled at her. "Tien is getting stronger." He promised her and he smiled clearly pleased with his part in helping Tien to train.

Kushami smirked. "Well naturally he is when he has you there to help him." She had not always been this nice to the immortal child. Still they had taken her in and put up with her antics. She was grateful to Chiaotzu and Tien and she had wished to show them that she cared in some way. Being nicer had seemed like the right thing to do at least for the boy. Tien had been more difficult to show that she cared. He had never been terribly trustful of her due to her criminal past. He had hated how she use to lie, steal, and cheat. It was part of why she had given it up. She had done it to please him.

'Not that anything I do pleases him.' She thought perhaps a bit harshly. Tien was not cruel to her but nor did he treat her as she hoped. She wanted so much from Tien. She was beginning to think that she wanted far more from him than he was willing to give her. She looked away from Chiaotzu then to stare at her heart's great desire. Tien.

He was looking at her with curiosity in his eyes and she was slightly taken aback to find curiosity there instead of his usual kind indifference. She didn't know what to make of that so she simply gave him a tough girl grin and then said to him "You should get inside and start eating while it's still warm. You can take a bath afterward tough guy."

With that she turned away from him and sauntered inside of her capsule home. The house was a gift from Bulma whom she still liked to keep in touch with. Her old capsule house had been destroyed by a waterfall years before. She didn't often like to think of that day. Tien had saved her that day and she had felt his arms wrapped tight around her. It would have been more wonderful if they had been wrapped about her without her life being in danger, but hey a girl couldn't be too picky. He had not held her since that day much to her great regret.

She entered the kitchen and smiled at the nicely set table. She had learned a few things over the past year and one of those things was how to cook as well as her counterpart. Ranchi the dimwitted blue haired beauty that she turned into was a fine cook and a fine housekeeper. Kushami was trying to learn to be almost as efficient if only to please Tien.

She was grateful for Chiaotzu's boisterous spirit. He kept a consistent chatter through dinner and kept her smiling and laughing. She caught Tien staring at Chiaotzu with affection and she caught Tien's eye and gave him a genuine smile. She liked the way that he seemed to look at the boy as though he were a little brother. They had once been students together beneath the same master so she supposed it was a sort of brotherhood. She had seen evidence enough of that between Krillin and Goku when they had both been students of Master Roshi the Turtle Hermit.

She followed Chiaotzu's lead when it came to making conversation throughout dinner because she didn't think she had it within her to come up with topics on her own. The past few days she had become introspective, withdrawing slightly from her boys and yet hovering near them basking in their presence. Being near them gave her comfort, gave her the strength to try to face that strange block that was bothering her.

"I hate road blocks." She muttered again and then suddenly she heard the silence, realized that Chiaotzu had ceased speaking and so had Tien. They were both staring at her. Her green eyes locked on Tien's for a moment and held his gaze. His dark eyes were hooded and she had seen that look enough times to guess what his thoughts might be. He had heard road blocks and suddenly wondered if she was planning some sort of heist. Though it hurt her that he thought she might be she supposed she shouldn't blame him. She had alternated of late between being in their presence and least out of sight.

"Road blocks Kushami?" Chiaotzu asked of her. He knew what road blocks were but he didn't know why she had muttered darkly about them. "Are you remembering something from your past?"

Her gaze swiveled away from Tien and she stared at the immortal child with surprise. His question had caught her, held her spellbound for a moment. "Yes." She said softly to the kid. "I am, but…" She trailed off as Tien stood.

"He doesn't need to hear about your criminal past." He said in a voice that was calm but held that stern edge that told her that she had better do as he said.

She wasn't afraid of Tien, at least not physically. Despite the fact that he was a trained assassin she knew that he would never be able to bring himself to harm her physically. The trouble was the man's opinion mattered too much to her. She wasn't sure when that had happened but she had given him that power. She had handed him the keys to the city that was called Kushami, not that he even seemed to know it.

Chiaotzu gave her a sympathetic look and spoke to Tien. "But we don't even know if she was going to say anything about her criminal past."

"I wasn't." Kushami muttered as she too stood up from the table. She started gathering the empty plates before she stalked off to the kitchen. The plates had been a gift from Chi-chi, Goku's pretty wife. If they hadn't been a gift from the Ox-King's daughter then Kushami was positive she would have taken them outside, despite the fact that it was dark and used them for target practice. She put the plates down beside the sink and then she turned on her heel away from the kitchen sink. She marched straight out the kitchen door into the night uncaring at the moment that all of her best guns had been left in her capsule case in the house.

"Who does he think he is?" She asked the nighttime sky. "Huh? I'm not the only one with a checkered past. That Tien was a trained assassin for Kami's sake!" She exclaimed releasing some of her pent up frustration. She leaned against a rock that had over the last year become her favorite. This spot, not far from the domed house, was where she went to think when something was upsetting her. She sat on the ground leaning against the rock and let her anger flow away. She stared up at the night sky and watched the Dragon Star.

"Doragon." The name came to her in a startling realization. Someone had once told her that the star was named Doragon. She snarled then in aggravation. "Why am I sitting here plagued over the name of a stupid star?" She demanded of herself. "It's not like I work in the astrology department at Capsule Corp." She murmured but the heat left her words as she looked up at the sparkling star. Somehow looking up at the star eased the pain in her head. She felt a tear slip from her right eye and was startled by the cool wetness. She hadn't realized that she was close to tears.

It was late in the night nearing midnight when she felt herself being lifted from her position of laying against the rock. In her half-awake state she managed to cuddle closer to the warmth of the person carrying her. She inhaled his scent and contentment overcame her. Tien had come to find her and had chosen to bring her inside without waking her to disturb her. She sighed with happiness no longer able to summon anger at him. Perhaps she could be angry at him tomorrow but she doubted it. She rarely stayed mad at Tien for anything. The longest she had managed to stay mad at the man was for a single day. It had been a miserable day for Oolong, Yamcha, Puar, Master Roshi, and Turtle whom she had terrorized.

There was a pause in his movements and he pulled her closer against him as he managed to balance her in his arms and also open the kitchen door. She fought the urge to smile against his neck that he was actually able to accomplish the deed without dropping her or propping her against the outside wall. She opened her eyes and glanced toward the kitchen sink. All of the dishes that she had used to cook with and used to serve dinner with were clean and in the dish strainer. She smiled at Tien and raised a hand to his cheek. He was half way between the kitchen and dining room and he froze between the two rooms as he felt the contact of her fingers against his skin.

"Thank you Tien, for coming to get me. I didn't mean to fall asleep out there." She said in a voice that was still husky from sleep.

Tien nodded his head. "I've told you not to do that." He reminded her, but his voice lacked anger. "You never know who or what is lurking about."

She resisted the urge to smile at his show of concern. "Wouldn't it be better if someone made off with me? Good riddance right?" She asked of him as he gently sat her down on the sofa. She was happy with the change of position because now she could easily see his face, his dark eyes. She placed her hands on his arms to hold him there, kneeling by the couch, half over her as he had placed her there. She needed to know if that was how he felt about her. She needed…

"I'd be worried. I wouldn't know what had happened to you. If you had decided to go off on your own or if someone had tried to hurt you." Tien answered her. "It wouldn't be good riddance Kushami. If someone made off with you, I'd come for you."

He was so close, his breath fanned her face as he spoke and she stared into his dark eyes spell bound. "Tien." She whispered his name and felt herself moving closer to him. She closed her eyes as her lips touched his. Her lips trembled against him as the months of longing coursed through her. She felt him stiffen as she slowly moved her trembling lips against him. She feared for a moment that he would reject her and she began to pull back. "I'm sorry…" She whispered to him but then she could say no more. Tien's arms had gone around her and his lips were molding over hers gently demanding that she give herself to him.

She sighed when he released her lips and she buried her head in the crook of his neck reveling in the feel of him. Her mind was reeling from his kiss. Tien had finally shown her that he returned her affection. He had kissed her. He had truly kissed her. "Road blocks?" Tien breathed the word against her hair shattering the moment and it was her turn to stiffen in his embrace.

She pulled away slightly yet his arms did not slide away from her. Instead his hands remained at her lower back and she recognized immediately that he would easily be able to maneuver his hands to hold her in place if she tried to bolt. The look in his eyes was hard and serious and she knew then that he would seriously hold her down if she tried to bolt. He wanted answers. "I hate them." She whispered.

"Planning another crime spree, Kushami?" Tien asked after a long moment of silence.

Kushami felt pain flutter in her chest. She shouldn't blame him. He knew what she was capable of, he knew all about that part of her checkered past after all. "No." She denied it with vehemence because despite his knowledge of her past it hurt her so fiercely that he thought she would do such a thing now. She had been good while living with him, had given up that life. She didn't really want to return to it. Didn't he know that? Couldn't he see that when he looked at her? 'Clearly he can't.' She thought with bitterness as she noted the lack of belief in his eyes.

"You cannot come back here if you do Kushami." Tien told her firmly. "The others may put up with your shenanigans but I won't. You won't bring that kind of trouble to Chiaotzu and me. Our deal was…"

"That I can stay so long as I don't get in trouble with the law and so long as I stay out of the way of your training." She cut him off with a biting tone of voice and a heated glare. "I remember our deal and I have never reneged upon it." She was angry with him, angry enough to need space from him. Oh she saw the irony! She had spent a great deal of time trying to get into the man's arms and now she needed him to release her so she could flee from him.

She placed her hands on his chest and pushed, determined to be rid of the feel of his arms curved around her. He stared at her for a long moment, his dark eyes bored deep into her own and then he released her and stood up. She wasn't satisfied until he had moved across the room. "So long as we understand each other Kushami." Tien managed to say to her before he turned down the hall that would lead him to what she liked to think of as the "Boy's Hall" for down the hall was Chiaotzu's room, Tien's room, a small gym, and a game room.

Kushami watched him go and felt bitter disappointment burn her throat and sting her eyes. He had assumed still that she was plotting some crime. He didn't understand and he had not asked to. It was always like this. Tien had not known how to deal with her at first. She didn't think he really knew how to deal with women unless he was fighting them. So it had been awkward at first. Then Tien had begun to figure out a way of dealing with her. She didn't always like his way of dealing with her. He presumed too much and then issued orders to her. She had never liked being ordered about. Not even when she was a child.

She blinked in confusion. It had been a very long time since she could remember anything about her childhood but suddenly the memory was fresh and clear. A beautiful woman with blue hair had stood before her and ordered her to chant a song, to chant it quickly and do it correctly. She hated being ordered to do it. Something had felt wrong about it. She didn't want to do it quickly; she was afraid she would somehow mess it up and then the woman would be very angry and punish her. She didn't know why she had to chant the song, didn't understand why the woman made her do it, but Kushami was certain that the chanting of that song had changed her life in ways that she could not yet wrap her head around.

Kushami slowly arose from the couch and stumbled on unsteady legs toward the simple set of stairs that led to the upper level of the domed house. The upper level held her bedroom and a few spare rooms for guests and for storage. She paused at the wall beside the stairs and flicked off the lights for the living room. She then began to move up the stairs leaning on the balustrade in order to keep moving. She yawned and felt weary more weary than she had felt in her whole life.

Tien had kissed her but he did not understand her. He kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, kept waiting to find that she had once again committed some crime. Was he looking for a reason to be rid of her? She couldn't help but wonder as she entered her bedroom. She stripped off her green tank top as she went and dropped it into the bin she kept for dirty laundry beside the bathroom door. She flicked the light on in the bathroom and smiled when she looked about her. The room was glistening clean, thanks to the blue haired version of herself she was sure for she didn't remember cleaning the bathroom that day. Her bathroom held the best shower and the best bathtub. It was large enough to fit herself and Tien easily, not that she had much hope anymore of getting Tien to test it out with her.

She sighed as she went to the sink and opened the medicine cabinet. She quickly found that which she sought, her toothbrush and toothpaste. While she brushed and flossed her teeth she let her mind wander back to her favorite topic, Tien Shinhan. Was he trying to get rid of her? Was that why he found it so easy to believe she was planning a crime spree? If he were that tired of her he could always tell her to leave, to hit the road and never come back again. She wasn't sure she'd willingly do it, but he could say so if that was what he was truly thinking.

She growled in aggravation as she threw away her used dental floss and slowly closed the cabinet. She washed her face swiftly, scrubbing harder than usual due to her aggravation with Tien. When she was done she turned the water off and picked up a dry towel and patted her face dry. She sighed as she looked at herself in the mirror.

Though she was not a vain woman she could admit that she was actually rather pretty. She had fine features, pretty green eyes, strawberry blond hair that was naturally thick though fine and quite curly. She had a nice body. She was an active girl. Since giving up her life of crime she had refused to become a couch potato. She cleaned the house and she engaged in various outdoor exercises. She had taken recently to rock climbing and before that she had enjoyed climbing the few trees in the area. She was attractive, willing, and the only girl for miles so why was it that Tien could only kiss her and then pick a fight with her? Why wasn't he in her bed panting her name?

She growled low in her throat before she departed the bathroom. She swiftly grabbed herself a tank top to wear to bed. She took off her bra and then donned the tank top. She shimmied out of her shorts next and deposited both bra and shorts in the dirty clothes bin. Then she grabbed the long button up shirt and put it on. It had turned chilly that day and she didn't need to catch a cold overnight.

She then picked up the journal book that she had bought on impulse a few years ago at a market. Well, the blue haired nitwit had bought it with money gifted to her by Master Roshi. The blue haired idiot had used it as a journal, stories of her life with Master Roshi were written on the pages in the gentle looping handwriting of her blue haired counterpart. Kushami bit her lower lip as she reread the last few pages of writing. It was recently written, perhaps two days ago but she couldn't be sure. The pages told of a dream that Ranchi had been experiencing.

Kushami felt chills rush over her spine as she once more reread the story as it unfolded in Ranchi's looping hand writing.

The dream happened again. I have lost count of how many times I have had it. Each time I see more. It's strange to dream that way isn't it? Shouldn't I have more control if it is my dream? I dream that there is this woman before me and she's so beautiful. Her hair is the same shade as my own and her eyes are a beautiful pale green, unlike my own blue eyes. I have seen her before in my dreams. Often she is rocking me back and forth, holding me and giving me comfort. Sometimes she has been singing a strange song. It's a song that she wants me to memorize but I don't know why. I only know that the song fills me up. It is beautiful and yet there is something ominous about it.

Last night she held me. She rocked me back and forth and said that I had to sing the song at the right moment because it would save my life. I don't know why she was so frightened but she shook as she held me and I had the feeling that she held me more for her own comfort than for my own. Her fear was a living breathing entity in the room and it was inescapable. I wanted so desperately to awaken but I couldn't. Then there was a crash and she stood up, holding me to her. She reached out a hand toward the ground and I watched as a blond haired little girl around my own age took that hand. Then we were rushing from the room, running as fast as the woman could go while holding me and pulling the little blond haired girl along.

We entered a large room that reminds me of those great halls you see in castles. She set me down on the floor and I looked at the blond haired girl. She had the woman's pale green eyes but her hair was blond. Despite that there were similarities of our features. But the blond haired girl was scowling in concentration and she looked so fierce and determined while I felt only fear and I am sure it showed on my own features.

"Sing the song. Do it now and quickly." The woman told us and I watched as the blond haired girl flinched. We looked at each other for a moment and it took me a moment to realize that I was looking at that girl waiting for her to take the lead. There was something familiar in that moment as though I often waited for the little blond haired girl to lead.

We joined hands and began to sing. We were urged on faster, faster and faster. I felt as though ice flowed through my veins as I continued to sing the song trying to master it at the speed and tempo that she desired. I barely noticed the doors opening and armed men entering the room. I barely noticed anything around me until I stumbled over my words in my haste. Then it happened, a bright light as I felt pulled forward toward the blond haired girl.

Then I awoke to early morning sunlight shining upon my face. I rushed to the bathroom to bathe and then get downstairs to cook breakfast for Tien Shinhan and Chaiotzu. I tried to shake the dream and the feelings it gave me by cleaning my bathroom. I scrubbed until everything sparkled and yet it has not been enough. So I have chosen to write it down in this journal. I don't know why I dreamt of that woman again. I don't know why I dreamt of that strange song and why I felt as though I were being pulled toward the blond haired girl. I wish I knew who she was. I cannot shake the feeling that she is real and someone that was once very close to me.

Kushami slowly closed the book and pondered the words written there. For the first time that she could remember she wished to sit down with her blue haired counterpart and have a serious conversation. Sure there had been times that she had wanted to talk to the blue haired version of herself. Primarily to yell at the girl for getting them into what Kushami had thought were silly situations at the time. Now Kushami was willing to admit that the blue haired version of her had done a lot for them. It was the blue haired one that was beloved by Master Roshi, Oolong, Krillin, Goku, Chi-Chi, Yamcha, and Bulma. They weren't as fond of Kushami but they accepted her, it had been that or a gun in the face.

She sighed at that depressing thought. Tien had accepted her in this incarnation though. He didn't really trust her and they were working on that, at least she thought they were. Still the point was he had accepted her. It was her and not the blue haired version that he had been willing to accept as a living partner. He knew the blue haired came with her of course, but it was her blond haired Kushami that he had agreed to let stay. That meant the world to Kushami. Tien was perhaps the first person who had ever wanted her around.

That meant more to her than anything. The things she was willing to do for that man astounded her at times. She was willing to clean house. She was willing to learn how to cook some of the most delectable meals and she had memorized all of his favorites. She had even swallowed her pride for him and nicely asked Bulma for this house which was modeled with Tien and Chaiotzu's needs in mind as well as her own. She had given up her life of crime for him. She had thought giving up her criminal past would be difficult. She had thought it would be incredibly hard to keep her from planning a new heist, picking a pocket while at the market, robbing a bank. Instead it had been easy. It brought her back to her thoughts of earlier that evening. It was as if robbing people had never been what she had really wanted to do.

Kushami sighed and slowly placed the book back on the nightstand. She then arose and turned the light switch to the off setting. The room was now in darkness except for the moonlight that bathed the room creating shades of gray. She crawled into the bed and beneath the covers and looked toward the window for several moments. She had insisted upon a window in her room in case she ever had to make a fast get away. Bulma hadn't understood it but she accepted it and added it into the structure of the house. Kushami smiled a little and felt gratitude toward Bulma for the window and for the house itself. She had offered Bulma money for the home but she had been turned down. Instead Bulma had made a gift of the house to her due to their long years of friendship. It was the first time that Kushami thought that Bulma may actually like her as well as her blue haired self.

As she closed her eyes she thought again of the dream she had and how it resembled pieces of the dream that the blue haired nitwit had dreamt. The woman with the blue hair had urged them to sing the song, chant it faster and faster. Kushami yawned as she rolled over in her bed. She felt herself drift for a time between sleep and wakefulness before she tipped over the edge into sleep.

The blue haired woman awaited her there. "Kasia there you are." She said in a voice that dripped with displeasure. "Hurry child we have to get your sister."

Kushami now known as Kasia in the dream followed the woman to what looked like a nursery or playroom. Toys were scattered upon the floor and a blue haired girl with wide blue eyes stared at them curiously. She watched as the adult woman trembled and then scooped the little blue haired girl into her arms. "Raisa you have to sing the song at the right moment. If done correctly at the right moment will save your life." She promised. Then they were leaving the room, the woman was holding the girl Raisa but she held the hand of Kasia and forced her to run.

Kushami ran fast and felt as though she were about to stumble at any moment, yet she kept her pace running behind the woman, panting with the exertion. Then they were in the great hall and Kushami felt chills race through her. The woman put the blue haired girl, Raisa, down and then she ordered them to sing.

Kushami looked at the floor not wanting to sing. There was something about this that felt so wrong. It was as though she would have to give up herself. She would no longer be her own person. She would join with Raisa and they would both cease to exist. Then the blood would be joined again and the great threat would sleep. She frowned as she thought about it. If she and Raisa joined the great threat would sleep but the others wouldn't. Which was the greater threat?

Kushami looked up into the scared blue eyes of Raisa and she nodded with determination. She would protect Raisa. She reached for the girl's hand and was relieved when Raisa gripped hers tightly. Then they began to sing at the same time, chanting the song together, and gaining speed as they went, faster and faster just as the blue haired woman commanded. She didn't want to finish the song. She felt in her gut that to finish the song was to silence the wrong enemy. Then Raisa tripped over her words and they were drawn together in a bright light. They were melding, merging, becoming one being. Kushami screamed as the two morphed together into a single body.

She woke up screaming, hands holding her arms tightly as she struggled in the bed linens. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she inhaled harshly and she opened her eyes to see Tien staring at her with a look of overwhelming concern. She leaned toward him and he eased his hold upon her upper arms. She sobbed against his chest unable to stop herself from crying over what she had seen and experienced in her dream.

Dream? She wasn't sure she could call it a dream anymore. Something about it made her believe it was real. Road blocks. Somehow her memory was blocked and was resurfacing in her dreams? Was that it? And in the dream there were two of her. There was Raisa the blue haired girl with blue eyes and then there was Kasia and she knew that she was supposed to be Kasia. She had never dreamt that she was Raisa.

"Kushami." Tien's voice murmured to her and the tenderness in his tone stirred her. She hugged him tightly, sniffling and hating herself for being so weak while in front of him.

"I'll be fine. I just need a minute. Just a minute." Kushami promised him.

Tien frowned and he ran a hand over her blond hair, lightly caressing her strawberry curls. "Take all the time you need." He said gently as he cradled her close.

Kushami managed a nod and took a few shaky breaths. Her mind was a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions. Was that real? Had that really happened to her? If that were so then what she had always believed was true and the blue haired nitwit was not her at all but literally a different person.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

She fell asleep in his arms. He had held her, rocking her softly as she cried her heart out against the skin of his chest. Each sob had felt like a blow to him. Each hitch in her breath had felt like a knife wound in his heart. He knew that Kushami was vulnerable beneath her tough girl façade but he had not realized just how deeply she could hurt until he had held her in his arms last night.

He had been lying in bed staring at the ceiling wide awake and trying desperately to fall asleep. His mind had replayed the evening over and over. The moment at dinner where she had mentioned road blocks, the rage that he had felt when he thought she was plotting something dangerous. The worst part was that he had made her believe that he only cared about her bringing trouble to his door. He didn't care about that half as much as he cared about Kushami in danger because of her own foolish actions.

He felt the fluctuation in her ki then and he frowned. This wasn't the first time he had felt her ki fluctuate in this manner. Each time she had been dreaming but she never shared the dreams with him or with Chiaotzu. Then her scream pierced the night and she sounded so distressed that he was on his feet and jerking open the door to his bedroom before he had even thought of it. He ignored the stairs, opting to fly up to the second floor landing. He landed before her door and jerked the door open.

He didn't consider what she was feeling in that moment. He only knew that he had to hold her and so he gathered her into his arms and held her close to him letting her sob the pain and fright out onto his chest. She thought he was just being kind and like a coward he let her. It was easier to let her think him kind than to reveal the truth to her. He had needed to touch her, to hold her and be sure that she was alright. He still wasn't sure that Kushami was going to be alright.

He roared with aggravation and launched a ki blast at the rocks. He had been up early training for hours. He had fallen asleep in her bed, holding her and it was the greatest night of sleep he had ever had, could ever remember experiencing. How could that be? How could he have found such exquisite rest while holding on to the woman who drove him the craziest? The woman was always driving him to the edge of his patience. First it had been her strange almost stalker like behavior toward him. Then her criminal past which still had the power to anger him. Then it was the way she used to try interrupting his training. Then the way she watched him train without interrupting him.

Now it was strange to train without her eyes upon him. Somehow he did better, fought harder if he felt those green eyes watching his every movement, tracing him with those exquisite jade eyes. He frowned as he tried once more to concentrate on his training. He went over the movements of his kata again, starting once more at the beginning. His muscles flexed as he went through the maneuvers and though he tried he could not banish Kushami from his thoughts.

'Very well then.' He thought and he pushed himself harder. He couldn't banish her from his thoughts. She had somehow worked her way under his skin and become an integral part of him. He would only be rid of her if he cut her out and he now began to fear that he would never be able to do that. She had seeped into his skin, his blood burned for her; there was no escape from her now. She was a poison in his blood stream and he'd never be free of her. Since he would never be free of her he used her now as fuel. Thoughts of her became fuel for his training. When he thought of her now he thought of defending her, protecting her from the things that made her scream in the middle of the night.

What had she dreamt of that frightened her so much? He had not wanted to ask her last night and now he feared asking her might bring it back to her. Worse was that he had fallen asleep with Kushami in his arms and had awoken to find that the blue haired version of herself had made an appearance in the night. Kushami must have sneezed in her sleep. He had fled as quietly and swiftly as he dared trying not to wake up the blue haired girl.

Somehow holding the blue haired girl had felt wrong, like he was somehow cheating upon Kushami. Strange when they were both extremely different aspects of the same woman right? He wasn't so sure. Despite that Master Roshi had told him of the different personalities of the poor girl Tien was no longer sure he could believe that her's was just a case of split personalities vying for dominance. Or maybe he didn't want to believe it because he feared that the personality that he loved best, the jade eyed Kushami was really a figment of the blue haired girl?

He couldn't deny it to himself that it was Kushami the green eyed vixen that held him spellbound, that kept him awake thinking long into the night. It was Kushami that he burned for. He did not feel the same for the kind blue haired girl that she turned into with a sneeze. How could he believe he loved Kushami if he did not love all of her? Loving all of her would surely include loving the blue haired girl too would it not?

Tien frowned as he continued his training long into the late morning and early afternoon. He was ravenous when he finally ceased to train and chose to enter the house. He opened the front door and heard the sound of soprano singing coming from the kitchen and the smell of cookies baking in the oven wafted toward him. He felt his stomach rumble with hunger and debated whether he should eat first and then shower or shower and then eat. A glance at the kitchen had him opting for a shower first. The blue haired woman was in the kitchen and he didn't wish to speak with her just yet.

He turned toward what Kushami had dubbed the Boy's Wing and he entered his room and slowly peeled away the sticky sweaty uniform he had used to train in. He dumped the clothes in the dirty clothes bin that Kushami had bought for him and then he went into his bathroom. It was a masculine set up with tan and white colored tiles. There wasn't a bathtub in his bathroom. Instead he had a standing shower with glass doors. He had to admit that he liked the set up though at times he wished he could relax in a large tub. He felt a blush steel into his cheeks as he remembered Kushami explaining that he could use hers whenever he wished. Her bathtub was large enough that he could bathe in it and so too could Kushami.

He banished the mental image that danced through his head of both him and Kushami naked in her bathtub. He closed himself within his shower and adjusted the temperature of the water before he turned it on. He flinched when it came out of the shower jet cold at first but then relaxed when the water quickly warmed to the temperature he preferred. He wasted little time in cleaning himself preferring to become clean as soon as possible. He then let the water pour over him and ease his aching muscles. He sighed as he felt some of the tension leave his body and he closed his eyes as he leaned against the shower wall with his back facing the water jet.

He was frustrated with his thoughts and how they kept going in circles. He couldn't remember having so many problems before he met her and now he knew that he couldn't do without her. It was dangerous to let her know that though. She would hold it over him for the rest of his life if he ever revealed to her that he could not imagine his life without her. He had never needed a woman before. He had studied hard under his master and had trained even harder after leaving his former master because he wanted to be a good man. In truth he believed that his former master had corrupted the teachings of the Crane School.

When Master Shen had created the school it was after the defeat of King Piccolo by Master Mutaito's use of the Evil Containment Wave. Master Shen created the Crane school with the basis in mind of strength of the body and a diligent mind. Tien knew that Master Shen had used his school for his own devices. He wished to defeat his foes and if he couldn't do it himself then he would train others to do it for him. Tien was one of those others. Master Shen could say that what he was doing was right but Tien could no longer believe in him. Between Master Shen and his younger brother Tao Tien had been taught not only how to defend himself, but also how to fight and worse how to kill.

He looked down at his hands and frowned. His were the hands of a killer, at least of a man who knew exactly how to kill. Did he really have the right to look down his nose at Kushami for robbing banks and convenience stores when he had been trained to kill? She had never killed anyone. Even her barrage of bullets was usually in the air or at the ground. It was enough to scare him and everyone else who came into contact with her but the more he looked back on it he knew her aim was deliberate. She was trying to frighten people to get them to do what she wanted whether that was to back off or whether it was to get them to come closer. In his case it was usually to come closer though he was happy that she had not gotten out a gun on him in a very long time.

He sighed as he slowly turned off the water. No. He didn't have the right to look down at Kushami for her past, but he did have the right to worry. She lived with him and Chiaotzu. He had the right to worry about whether or not she was plotting something that would endanger her. He had the right to worry when she whimpered and cried in her sleep. He had the right to wonder what terrors chased her in her nightmares causing her to scream in the middle of the night.

He opened the shower door and heard the sound of the blue haired Ranchi singing. He sighed as he grabbed the towel from the door of the shower. Ranchi, as everyone called her, was a kind girl. She was sweet and he did feel protective of her, but it felt different to what he felt for Kushami. He felt protective of Ranchi the same way he felt protective of Bulma Brief. It was simply because both were women of his acquaintance that could easily be hurt, at least physically.

He quickly dried himself off and used a slight flaring of his ki to assist with the process. Then with the towel wrapped around his waist he opened his bathroom door to enter his bedroom. He froze then and looked on stunned as he noted that Ranchi was in his bedroom. She was singing happily to herself still as she was placing clean sheets upon his bed. His eyes quickly noted that the sheets that he had slept on last night were now in his dirty clothes bin beside him. He watched in growing embarrassment as she fluffed his pillows and then placed a comforter upon the bed. The comforter was simple, a hunter green shade that he could approve of. It was far better than the time he had entered his room to find that Ranchi had chosen a lavender color for his bed spread.

Belatedly he realized that Ranchi would turn toward him in order to drag his dirty clothes bin out of his bedroom. It was apparently laundry day. He blushed when her blue gaze came to rest on him. Her eyes went wide for a moment and a blush stole across her cheeks. For a moment he was angry with her because her eyes were blue instead of jade green. Kushami may have blushed but she wouldn't have stared at him with such embarrassment and shame. Calculation would have entered Kushami's eyes and she would have taken the opportunity to look her fill of him. He gritted his teeth at the thought as he felt heat curl in his gut.

"I'm so sorry." Ranchi stammered out as she looked almost anywhere but at him. "I didn't mean to interrupt your shower. I heard the water on of course but I thought I would be finished before you and thought that if you were tired from your training you would be able to take a nap on the nice clean sheets and I do need to wash these other ones today."

Tien raised a hand to halt anymore of her babbling. "It's alright Ranchi." He assured the girl. "I understand. I heard your singing and thought you were perhaps cleaning in the hall. I should have realized that you were in my room. If I had I would have remembered that it was laundry day and patiently waited until you had finished."

Ranchi slowly smiled despite her blush. "Well there is no harm done. I mean you are decent enough after all Tien." She said and then took a tentative step toward the dirty clothes bin. "I'll just take this then and get back to sorting the laundry."

Tien nodded as he watched her lift up the bin. It was tall coming to her thigh but since it was only full of clothes and bed linens she was easily able to carry its weight. He was relieved that he didn't have to watch her struggle with it. He wasn't exactly decent enough to help her if she were to have trouble with it.

Relief flooded through him when she exited his room closing the door behind her. He immediately went to his closet and took out the clothes he intended to change into. He didn't want to get caught unawares again so he was swift in dressing. He then felt his stomach growl and remembered that he had skipped breakfast that morning because he had felt it far more important to work out what was plaguing his mind than to feed his body.

He strode from the room and soon enough found himself in the kitchen gathering food together. He watched Chiaotzu for a moment as the boy used a towel to dry the dishes that Ranchi had already washed but had left in the drying rack. The boy carefully placed each newly towel dried dish into the cabinet to which it belonged.

"You were up really early Tien." Chiaotzu said after Tien had watched him for a few moments.

Tien nodded his head and then sat down at the table in order to eat. "Yeah, there was a lot on my mind. I thought some training would help."

Chiaotzu turned his smiling face to look at him. "I understand. I'm worried about Kushami as well." He said gently. "She's been so quiet lately and she's been having bad dreams. I think her talk of road blocks was about her dreams and not about something she plans to do Tien."

Tien looked at Chiaotzu with a puzzled look on his face. "Why do you say that?" He asked of his friend. Kushami saying road blocks had made him panic inside. He had become terrified that she was planning something that could ultimately end with her being hunted down and taken away from him if not hurt outright. That was part of the trouble he couldn't easily face. If she returned to a life of crime she could be caught and imprisoned and he couldn't stand the idea of someone taking her away from him. Wasn't that the real reason he would go after her if she left him? He shook the thoughts aside. He didn't like the way they made him feel. It made him long to hunt down Ranchi and force her to sneeze just so he could stare into jade green eyes.

"She cares what you think of her Tien." Chiaotzu explained gently. "I don't think she would jeopardize your good opinion of her just so she can rob a bank or something like that."

Tien mulled that over and had to concede that Chiaotzu had a point. She had tried really hard to win his favor over the period of time that they had been living together. "You may have a point." He said aloud. "But what did she mean when she spoke of road blocks then?" He asked before he began to eat some of the rice that Ranchi had prepared for him. It was seasoned just the way he liked it and he smiled slightly in fondness toward Ranchi. She was a kind girl, always trying so hard to please him and Chiaotzu. Kushami had been trying hard to please him too but her ways were different yet similar. She too had learned to cook the dishes that he and Chiaotzu liked best.

"I don't really know." Chiaotzu admitted as he put away the final dish leaving the dish rack empty. "I just feel that it was somehow more personal. She's been so quiet of late Tien. Something is really bothering her and last night she might have told us but you stopped her."

Tien looked down at his food suddenly replaying the events of dinner the night before. She had said road blocks and he had felt rage and disappointment burn inside of him. Chiaotzu had asked her what she meant by road blocks and she had begun to explain but Tien had cut her off. He frowned as he remembered it, the look of hurt in her eyes that flared into anger at him. He sighed and looked up at Chiaotzu once more. "I cut her off and didn't let her explain. I shouldn't have done that." He admitted to his friend.

Chiaotzu smiled. "At this point I think only you can get her to explain but right now she's Ranchi." He said.

Tien nodded. "Yeah, so I'll have to wait." He sighed. He didn't like the idea of waiting to talk to Kushami. He was already worried about her. She had fallen asleep in his arms, exhausted after crying her heart out. He didn't really know if she was alright. He didn't know what had caused her such pain. What had she dreamt about that had scared or hurt her so badly?

Chiaotzu nodded. "Yeah but at least Ranchi's cheerful singing is a change around here." He said optimistically.

Tien had to agree. Kushami had been so quiet of late that the silence had become almost oppressive. Now Ranchi was singing in the laundry room as she sorted their clothes and began to place them in the clothes washer. He missed Kushami, wanted to ask her what she had dreamt about. He wanted to hold her close and let her explain what she had meant by road blocks. He wanted to apologize for being a jerk. Still, he had to admit that Chiaotzu was right about Ranchi's cheerfulness being a nice change of pace.

He and Chiaotzu engaged in idle chatter throughout the rest of his meal. It was comfortable and pleasant. He appreciated that Chiaotzu was usually cheerful and happy. It was one of the reasons why he had become protective of the boy during their time as students of Master Shen.

When he finished his meal he took his dishes to the sink and gently placed them within. "I think I am going to train some more." Tien said to Chiaotzu even as the immortal boy bounced over to the sink to wash his dishes for him.

"Okay Tien. I will wash these so Ranchi doesn't have to. She's pretty determined to clean the house from top to bottom today. She was amazed that it was as clean as it was and was even more surprised when she realized that it was Kushami that had kept it up." He giggled at the memory of Ranchi's surprised expression.

Tien smiled at Chiaotzu. "It has been a while since Ranchi has cleaned the house like this. Come to think of it she hasn't exerted herself like this in a long while. Kushami has been more prominent."

Chiaotzu nodded. "Maybe Kushami needs a break after last night."

Tien nodded. "Maybe." He didn't like to think of them as the same woman. He knew that Master Roshi insisted that they were. Master Roshi had told him she was one woman with a split personality disorder. Master Roshi didn't know much more about it other than that she had always been this way since she was encountered years ago by Krillin and Goku and brought to live with the Turtle Hermit. She had been a teenager then and alone in the world.

The idea of her alone in the world upset him. It made him angry to think of her helpless. He went outside and began his kata but the motions were so ingrained in his mind that he didn't have to think about them. Instead his thoughts remained on the woman who was a poison in his blood. Was that why she had started a life of crime? Had she been abandoned and then resorted to a life of crime in order to keep herself alive? It was possible. How long had she had a split personality? When had it manifested and which was the real woman and which was the figment?

Was he in love with a figment, some part of the woman that had been created by her in a desperate attempt to save her from a harsh cruel world? He hated how often he thought of that question. He hated how it haunted him, how she haunted him. He hated how her jade eyes were not on him now while he trained. He longed to feel her eyes upon him, pushing him to greater heights.

There was somehow peace that he could feel, a sort of nirvana that could come over him when she watched him train. It settled within him and then pushed out around him. Then he could train hard, push himself further. Though there was pain he never felt it, not during the moment, not while he trained so hard. He could almost feel indestructible when she watched him. He had felt it first at the World Tournament when her jade green eyes had watched him while he fought. The tendril of peace had settled inside of him and he had not understood that it was due to her eyes upon him. He had only known that it was a glorious feeling.

He didn't feel it again until she came to live with him. Until she began to watch him train and had ceased trying to interrupt him in favor of him spending time with her he had not realized that it had been her eyes upon him that had caused the strange sense of peace to steal through him. Chiaotzu had thought it strange that he had not told her to go away. Normally his training was private unless he was willing to train with a friend as he had done a few times with both Krillin and Yamcha. He knew that Chiaotzu had chosen to think it was due to her closeness to them now, that it was because she lived with them and took care of them.

She did take care of them. He couldn't lie to himself about that any longer. Though he knew he could sleep out in the elements and survive that didn't mean he didn't appreciate the large bed and the comfortable capsule house that Kushami had chosen to get for them to live in. She had even taken special care with the design to ensure that he and Chiaotzu had nice rooms, nice showers, and plenty of space to just be guys away from her. He wasn't sure if she had been thinking of his needs so much as her own at that moment but he did feel gratitude that she had done it. He was also grateful to Bulma that she had chosen to make the home a gift to Kushami, but then perhaps she had done so because she feared taking money from Kushami.

It would take a long time to overcome her past. Tien realized that better than her other friends did. It was he who always judged her for it. It was a road block; Tien realized using her own words. He used her criminal past to keep her at arm's length, to keep him from just loving her.

"Idiot!" He shouted out before he launched into a series of ki attacks against imaginary opponents. He was chasing circles in his mind again. The end result would be the same. He would be afraid to love her and afraid that Kushami was a figment. He still didn't care for Ranchi the same way that he cared for Kushami and that bothered him as well. He didn't want to love Ranchi but if she and Kushami were really the same woman then how could he consider a life with her without loving both personalities? He couldn't just hope that one of them would always subdue the other and that his favorite would always come out on top.

'Circles.' He thought as he kept attacking his imaginary opponents. He was tearing himself apart inside chasing these ideas around, running in circles. He didn't know how to stop himself from doing so. He didn't know how to stop his tormented mind from going over the thoughts again and again.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

She felt the blush steel into her cheeks as she stared at Tien Shinhan standing in the doorway between his bathroom and his bedroom being in both, as though trapped between two worlds. He was a magnificent looking man, she had to admit it to herself as she stared at his naked chest that led down to a lean waist that held a towel wrapped about his waist. The knowledge that a single bit of linen kept her from seeing all of him had her heart beating faster and her head immediately going into a panic.

"I'm so sorry." Ranchi stammered out as she looked almost anywhere but at him. "I didn't mean to interrupt your shower. I heard the water on of course but I thought I would be finished before you and thought that if you were tired from your training you would be able to take a nap on the nice clean sheets and I do need to wash these other ones today." She wanted to kick herself for carrying on so. Why did she have to ramble?

Tien raised a hand to halt anymore of her babbling. "It's alright Ranchi." He assured her. "I understand. I heard your singing and thought you were perhaps cleaning in the hall. I should have realized that you were in my room. If I had I would have remembered that it was laundry day and patiently waited until you had finished."

Ranchi slowly smiled despite her blush. He truly was such a nice man. "Well there is no harm done. I mean you are decent enough after all Tien." She said and then took a tentative step toward the dirty clothes bin. "I'll just take this then and get back to sorting the laundry."

With that said she went to the clothes bin and hoisted it up before her and then she turned toward the door and carried it from the room. She didn't look back too mortified to behold Tien once more in nearly naked male splendor. She knew that most around her thought she was a bit of an airhead but she wasn't so naïve as they thought. She appreciated a handsome man and Tien was certainly a handsome male.

She wasn't often sure how she felt about Tien. She liked him and respected him. He was diligent and hardworking always training to become stronger. She felt safe when she was with him. She was safe because he was strong enough to protect her. It was more than that though. She was safe to be herself. That meant she could sneeze and become someone else and not have to worry that Tien may suddenly turn her out. She adored that about Tien.

She smiled as she sat his dirty clothes bin down in the laundry room and then began the process of sorting the laundry. Sheets would be last she swiftly decided. She easily sorted them along with Chiaotzu's and then at last her own. She stared at hers for a few moments and felt a flutter of apprehension race through her. It was the same apprehension that she had felt when she had awakened in the night to find herself in her bed with Tien laying beside her with his arms around her. She was fully clothed, well almost fully clothed since Kushami didn't seem to like to wear shorts nor pants to bed unless it was winter and she was freezing. Tien too was fully clothed so she had chosen to remain as she was, in his arms in the bed until she once more fell asleep.

She wondered how long this had been going on. How long had Tien and Kushami been bedmates? Was it just sleeping that they were engaging in? She pressed her lips together as she wondered about that. Though it was a private matter between Kushami and Tien she felt that she had a right to know. After all it was her body too, but how to ask him about it? It would certainly be embarrassing and she wasn't sure she had it in her to do it.

She sighed as she went back to sorting the laundry choosing to put the troubling problem from her mind for the time being. The simple act of sorting laundry was soothing to her senses and she soon found herself singing happily once more. Even while she sang she contemplated what she had learned from Chiaotzu that morning. Kushami had been playing housekeeper and from what Ranchi could see Kushami had done a halfway decent job. While the house wasn't clean enough for her own standards she had expected it to be much worse. When she had found it so well kept up she had wondered if Chiaotzu had done it but he had assured her that it had been Kushami.

She truly didn't know what to make of Kushami's work on the house. Chiaotzu had also assured her that Kushami had given up the life of crime. Ranchi had longed for Kushami to give up that life for a long time. It was most disconcerting to wake as though from a long sleep to find her surrounded by policemen pointing guns at her. Guns made her nervous. She didn't understand why Kushami liked them so much. She hated that feeling of having done something wrong but not knowing what it was. Kushami did what she did for a reason. She knew that the others thought that Kushami did it for the thrill but Ranchi knew that wasn't true. Kushami did it so that the two of them could survive. The money would keep them alive. They could buy food, clothing, etc. It was hard to hold down a job when you sneezed and became someone else. She had enough experience to know. It was why she appreciated the Turtle Hermit and appreciated Tien Shinhan so much. Both were great men who did not toss her out just because she had a strange problem.

Her problem wasn't that of split personalities like Master Roshi believed. He had tried to explain it to her once and she had listened with rapt attention trying to process what he was telling her. She knew that his assessment of her situation was wrong though. She was not a lone woman who had suffered some sort of trauma that created a split personality deep within her. Instead she was in fact two women who had suffered a trauma that had forced the two of them together into one body. She was sharing a body with Kushami because of a spell gone wrong when they were children.

She had not always known this but she knew it now. Her memories had been coming back to her for months now. She had thought that they were just strange dreams at first but she quickly realized that they were not just the fanciful imaginings of her tired mind. They were in fact her memories trying to manifest themselves once more. She was grateful that she could remember those days of her childhood now. 'Does Kushami remember?' She couldn't quite stop referring to the blond as Kushami due to the many years of calling her such. She knew that Kushami's name was really Kasia Doragon. She wished that she knew if Kushami remembered. She could only assume at this stage that Kushami did not remember because she could not believe that Kushami would leave them in their current state if she knew.

How to tell Kushami then?

This question puzzled her throughout the afternoon as she finished washing the laundry and then dusted the house from top to bottom. She swept floors, polished the hardwood floors and then took the rugs, dragging them one at a time outside and then wrestled them onto the line outside so that she could take a paddle to them in order to beat dust and dirt out of them.

She gave up on the final rug when she felt the sun on her back and noted the length of her shadow on the ground. She knew it was late afternoon now and if she chose to finish the rug then she would not have dinner on the table when the boys were hungry. The idea of forcing little Chiaotzu and big strong Tien to go hungry when they worked so hard was appalling to Ranchi's sensibilities.

She looked once more at the rug and resolved herself to return after dinner to finish beating the dust and dirt out of it. Then she rushed inside. She placed the paddle in the laundry room and then rushed to the kitchen and grabbed her favorite apron. She then took out her cooking utensils, pots, pans, and finally the food itself that she had thought to prepare that night. When she had looked in the ice box she noticed that they had chicken and she had immediately seized upon the idea of Teriyaki chicken for dinner that night.

She hummed to herself as she placed the ingredients she needed on the counter beside her. The Chicken she took out of it's packaging and placed in a bowl of hot water to help thaw it. Then she looked at the spices she would need to assist her with cooking the meal. Ranchi was relieved to find that she still had Sweet Vinegar since the last time she had been awake long enough to cook dinner they had run out of the ingredient. She quickly gathered the Soy Sauce, Sesame Oil, Honey, Garlic Cloves, Onion, Ginger, Black Pepper, Cornstarch, Salt, Pepper, and Star Anise. She took a moment to dissolve the amount of cornstarch that she would need in water and then she began the process of separating the pieces of chicken.

While she poured the soy sauce, star anise, sesame oil, honey, ginger, garlic, and onions in the sauce pan to bring to boil she wondered if she should talk with Tien and Chiaotzu about her latest revelation. She was two different women and she lived with them, didn't they have the right to know?

She sighed as she added the cornstarch to the mixture. She adjusted the heat of the burner and then watched as the mixture came to a simmer. She idly stirred the sauce until she found it sufficiently thick enough. Then she removed the star anise and the onion from the sauce and set them aside. She then turned the burner down and then began to salt and pepper the chicken pieces on both sides. She then placed them in a skillet and added sesame oil and set the burner to medium. She bit her lower lip as she wondered how she should broach the topic with the boys.

She mulled it over in her mind for several minutes as she idly turned over the pieces of chicken to ensure they would brown on both sides. 'Oh Tien and Chiaotzu I have great news. I have regained my memory and now I know that I am not really a woman with split personalities. Instead my name is Raisa Doragon and the blond I change into when I sneeze is my sister Kasia Doragon. We performed a magic spell when we were kids that our mother ordered us to perform and it fused us together. We have been sharing a body ever since.' She laughed aloud at how absurd it sounded in her head.

She then turned her attention toward the vegetables. She began to prepare them as she thought over her dilemma and wished that she could come up with a way to discuss her problem without it sounding like some delusional story made up by a mentally ill woman. Would they believe her? She could not come up with a way to say it that would assure that they would believe her. It sounded crazy.

"Ranchi!" Chiaotzu yelled happily as he rushed into the kitchen.

She turned her head to glance at him and gave him a warm smile. "Chiaotzu thank you so much for putting the dishes away for me while I tended to the laundry." She said sweetly.

"Oh it was no bother. I was just happy to help." He informed her as he took a good look about the kitchen. "Dinner is almost ready right?"

She nodded her head. "Yes but if you and Mr. Shinhan needs more time before dinner I can keep the food warm." She assured the boy who was not quite a boy. She often marveled over Chiaotzu. He was a little warrior trained by Master Shen. He had formed his friendship with Tien during their years in training under that corrupt master of the Crane School. Chiaotzu was loyal to Tien and he had all of the youthful enthusiasm of a child but yet he was not truly a child.

In that moment Ranchi found herself wishing that she knew more about the boy. Despite the many happy times she had spent with him she still didn't know much about him or his past. This was something she wanted to remedy. She pushed the plate of cookies toward the boy and smiled as he smiled brightly and took a cookie from the plate. "Not too many or it will spoil your dinner. You can have more after dinner if you have room for it." She promised him.

Chiaotzu nodded his head enthusiastically as he munched on the cookie. When he swallowed he answered her question that was not quite a question about himself and Tien. "We just need to shower. Tien should be inside in a moment to shower. He was taking care of something for you first."

This puzzled her. "Mr. Shinhan is taking care of something for me?" She asked of the boy and smiled happily. She didn't know what it was but the gesture in and of itself was very sweet. She continued to smile as she turned back to her cooking determined to put a little extra effort into it so that Tien really enjoyed dinner that night. "I am sure I'll learn what it is soon enough. Go get freshened up for dinner Chiaotzu." She urged with a happy tone to her voice. She soon began singing again. She was happy with Chiaotzu and Tien. Truly happy and she didn't often know how to tell them. She tried to show it in how she kept the house for them and kept them fed. It wasn't enough though. She needed to show them another way, perhaps tell them. She blushed at the idea of telling them. She knew she would stumble over her words.

She pushed the thought aside and put herself to finishing the dinner. She put the food in serving dishes and then put the lids on them and put the dishes on warming trays. She had often done this when she was unsure if Tien and Chiaotzu would finish their showers in time for dinner. She didn't mind so much since they did legitimately try to sit down on time for dinner. It was just hard sometimes to break away in the middle of a good sparring match. She had watched the boys enough to understand this. She had also watched Goku and Krillin grow into fine young men and she knew that sometimes you couldn't stop in a good sparring match. "You cannot stop in the middle of a battle or your opponent will kill you."

She paused in the middle of putting the biscuits in the oven but then shook her head and resumed her action. Where had that thought come from?

"Is that something you learned from Master Roshi?" Tien's voice drifted over to her and she whirled about to see him standing in the threshold of the kitchen and living room.

"Oh Mr. Shinhan you startled me." She said holding her hand to her chest for a moment.

He gave her a small smile. Then she noticed that he held the rug that she had not finished in his arms. "I finished this for you. It's the one that goes in the upper hall right?"

She smiled and nodded. "Thank you so much Mr. Shinhan. I was going to finish it after dinner. Yes it goes in the upper hall near the guest room." She felt happiness bubbling within her. Tien was usually kind to her but he rarely did anything so nice to help her out. Usually it was Chiaotzu who pitched in and assisted her with chores. She wondered suddenly how often Chiaotzu helped Kushami? She hoped he helped her as often as he helped her. She watched Tien walk away with the rug and she let out a small sigh. Mr. Shinhan was such a nice man, she was happy he was no longer a follower of the Crane Master even if Tien was still a disciple of the Crane style.

Chiaotzu returned soon after Tien had left and she knew that Tien would be within the shower washing away the sweat and dust of his training. She tried not to remember the look of Tien in a towel fresh from his shower and failed miserably. She felt herself blush and then shook her head trying to push the thoughts of Tien's good looks away.

Chiaotzu set the table for her and she then took the food off of the warming plates and placed the serving dishes upon pot holders that she had strategically set up on the table. She nearly danced about as she went to retrieve each dish. She was light on her feet and was happy that she could still twirl almost like a ballerina as she moved about the kitchen and dining room area. When she placed the last dish on the table she took off her oven mits and placed them on the counter. Then she continued to twirl for a few moments with Chiaotzu laughing at her antics.

She dipped into a curtsy before the boy and then winked at him in a way that was eerily similar to the way Kushami would have done. She could tell by the expression on Chiaotzu's face that she had done something similar to Kushami but she shrugged it off for the moment. She was happy and didn't want anything to spoil the mood she was in. She had to tell them her revelation. If she didn't then how could Kushami learn of it? She didn't have a way to communicate with Kushami. She needed them to do it for her.

When Tien came into the dining room he smiled at Ranchi and Chiaotzu before sitting at his customary seat. Ranchi began to sit before she remembered that her cooking apron was still on her body. She blushed and then fumbled with the ribbon in the back. She sighed in aggravation when it became stuck. Then she felt Tien's hands on her sides and she froze. He gently turned her and then soon his own deft fingers managed to untie the knot she had somehow created and she was able to slide the apron off of her dress. "Thank you Mr. Shinhan." She murmured as she went to hang her apron up on its usual hook.

"You are welcome Ranchi." He said simply and then as she sat down he looked at her curiously and again asked the question "That phrase you spoke earlier, did you learn it from Master Roshi?"

Ranchi's smile dimmed slightly as she watched him put food upon his plate. For a single moment she deliberated about simply saying that she had already forgotten the phrase but she immediately ruled that out. He would never believe her for it was not that long ago that he heard her speak it. That aside it would be a lie and she didn't like the idea of lying to anyone, let alone lying to Tien and Chiaotzu. She was grateful when it was her turn to serve herself and she gently placed food on her plate careful to not spill any of the food onto the table. "No. Master Roshi did not teach that phrase to me, though I do believe that he knows that stopping in the middle of a battle can have tragic consequences."

Chiaotzu looked curious but he held his tongue watching Tien and Ranchi. In a way it was a strange déjà vu. Just last night Kushami had said Road Blocks and it had piqued both Tien's interest and his ire. Tonight Ranchi had said something about battle it would seem and so Tien's interest was piqued.

Tien nodded his head. "Then where did you learn it?" He asked in a tone that was polite and curious.

She looked up at Tien and said simply. "My mother taught it to me and my sister when we were very little. She said that death awaited us if we hesitated upon the battlefield. She also said that there was more than one battlefield. There was the obvious one where warriors met and clashed. Then there were the more subtle battlefields and these were often the more treacherous."

Tien looked surprised by her revelation. "You have a sister? You remember you mother and your childhood?" This was clearly a revelation for he had always been led to believe that she knew nothing of her past.

Ranchi nodded her head and smiled at both Tien and Chiaotzu. "I have been remembering more about my past of late. My childhood has been coming back to me. Some of the memories are hazy but I do have them and I remember a great deal of what is important now." She said with a tone full of happiness. "I was born with a twin sister. We are fraternal twins. We have similar features but she is blond and green eyed. She has our mother's eyes. I have my father's eyes, or so my mother told me. But I have my mother's hair." She gently patted her hair for a moment and then looked from Tien to Chiaotzu. Both of them didn't seem to know how to take her information.

She thought over her words, how she had told them and she blushed with embarrassment. They thought that her delusions were getting worse didn't they? Oh dear! How was she supposed to remedy this? She needed them to believe her and tell Kushami. She watched as the boys continued to eat but the happiness that she had felt as dinner had begun was slowly ebbing away, leaving her bereft.

"Well if you look anything like your mom Ranchi then she was very pretty." Chiaotzu complimented her because he sensed that she was no longer as happy as she had been before.

She gave him a gentle smile but it did not quite reach her pretty sapphire eyes. "Thank you Chiaotzu." She said sweetly.

"What was her name?" Tien asked of her as he looked up from his plate of food. When she looked confused he elaborated. "What was your mother's name?"

Ranchi's lips curved into a slight smile. She couldn't tell if he was trying to humor her or trying to believe her. She couldn't fall silent and refuse him information, not when he may actually be won to her cause. "Her name was Siroun Doragon."

"Doragon!" Tien exclaimed as he stared at Ranchi with wide eyes. Even Chiaotzu was surprised by the name.

Ranchi nodded her head. "Yes, my twin sister and I were of the Doragon line." She admitted to him and longed for him to believe her.

He shook his head. "That's not possible Ranchi. That line fell extinct more than five hundred years ago." He informed her.

She felt her heart breaking at the way he was looking at her. She needed him to believe her but he was refusing to do so. She bit her lower lip and tried to hold back the urge to cry. She felt the stinging of tears but fought back the need to cry. She needed this conversation more, needed them to believe in her. "I know that is what you think but it isn't true. The last Dragon Lord was five hundred years ago but the line still exists." She insisted.

Tien shook his head in the negative as he looked at her. "Ranchi, this is not possible. The lineage was wiped out. The whole house was destroyed without a single member left."

She shook her head again in the negative. "That's not true Tien. In fact they left a male of the line left and a female and then the two were put together forced to beget a child. That child was the last Dragon Lord but it was a title in name only since he was ruled over by the people who had destroyed the strength of his clan." She spoke with enough vehemence that she held her audience captive to her words. "He had a daughter and there were only females born in the line ever since. My mother had twin girls, my elder sister Kasia and I."

Tien stared into her eyes for several moments and she hoped that he would believe in her but then he shook his head. "Ranchi, I am sorry but I cannot believe your story unless you have some sort of proof to back it up."

Proof? She couldn't believe what she was hearing. She was living proof that the line still existed, that Doragon's still existed. How was she to prove it to him? "I…I need you to tell Kushami what you have heard tonight." She said to them. "I know you don't believe me and that is fine. I understand that it is a pretty strange story. I just need you to tell Kushami please."

Tien looked unsure of whether or not to agree with her request and she felt her heart plummet. "Ranchi, I would like for you to agree to see a doctor. I was thinking that we could take you to Capsule Corp to see Bulma and she could arrange for you to see one of the doctors that work for her father's company that way everything will be confidential."

She felt her heart drop down to her toes but she nodded her head to Tien. "Of course if that is what you think is best Mr. Shinhan." She assured him. She felt cold inside and fought against the inner desire to cry. Kushami was stronger than her and would have held back the tears better but Ranchi felt that she did a decent job throughout the rest of dinner. She put herself to washing dishes in the kitchen while the boys went to the game room far from her to no doubt talk about her. She felt such a heavy sadness in her heart. For the first time since she had entered into her agreement to live with Mr. Shinhan and Chiaotzu she felt as though she was not accepted for who and what she was.

She didn't notice when the tears began to fall but soon she couldn't avoid the fact that they were falling. She stubbornly finished her cleaning once more making the kitchen spotless. She put the cookies she had baked that day in a tin to keep them fresh but left the tin on the counter in case Chiaotzu would want more. Then she swiftly headed up the stairs to her bedroom. She didn't wish to tell the boys goodnight while she was in tears.

She closed herself up in her bedroom and then frowned as she looked about the room. Soon she looked at the journal book beside the bed and sighed. She opened the book and read over the dreams that were actually memories. She turned a page in the book and then an idea struck her. She couldn't expect Tien and Chiaotzu to tell Kushami because they didn't believe her, but she could tell Kushami herself. She smiled then and began to pen her note to Kushami.

Dear Kushami,

Please read this book. It contains dreams that are actually memories of my childhood, our childhood. We are two different people Kushami. I know that you have always felt that we are and you were right! We are Doragon's and you must not let anyone convince you that we are just one woman with a split personality disorder. Please Kushami!

Ranchi

She placed the letter and the journal on top of the dresser and then she changed into her preferred bed clothes. She crawled into the bed determined that somehow tomorrow would be a far better day than the one she was leaving behind. She closed her eyes and willed herself to sleep hoping that memories of the past would not plague her rest.

Tomorrow she would go to visit Bulma and instead of requesting to see a doctor she would request the Dragon Radar so that she could go on a hunt for the dragonballs. She was two different women and due to a spell they had been taught as children they were bound together. It was time to sever the chains and be two women once again. She fell asleep with the song of binding in her mind and the last thought she had was the wish that Tien had believed in her.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Ranchi awoke to sunlight streaming through her windows. She opened her blue eyes and slowly sat up in her bed. She slowly recalled the events of the night before, or at least what she had experienced the previous night. She pushed the covers off of herself and then went to the dresser. She sighed in disappointment to see that the letter with Kushami's name upon it still sat as she had left it the previous night atop the journal book. She had cleaned the house thoroughly yesterday and had not so much as sneezed once. She wondered when she might sneeze again. The house was currently devoid of the usual things that could make her sneeze. She needed Kushami to read the letter though.

She glanced around the room deep in thought and then she spotted the vase of flowers. They were fake flowers but she knew just what to do to force her to sneeze. She grabbed up a bottle of the perfume that Master Roshi had bought her for her birthday. It wasn't really her birthday but it was the day that Goku and Krillin had saved her and brought her to live with them at Kame House. She opened the lid and sprayed plenty of the perfume upon the cloth flower. Then she set the perfume bottle on the table and took the flower to the dresser with her. She felt herself shake slightly as she brought the flower to her nose. She had never tried to force herself to sneeze before. Usually it was a battle of power between her and Kushami. It was strange indeed to know that she wanted Kushami in control at the moment.

No. Not Kushami. That was a name given to her in her youth because of her strange transformation when she sneezed. Kushami was Kasia Doragon her beloved sister. Kasia whom had always protected her when they were kids and who had protected her by stealing while they were trapped in one body, their memories slowly ebbing away into nothing.

She inhaled deeply of the perfume and felt it tickle her nose. 'Kasia please.' She thought and then there was time for nothing else. The sneeze changed her instantly.

Green eyes stared into the mirror and blinked in confusion. She had only to look down at her attire to know that Ranchi had been present instead of herself when bed time rolled around the night before. The last thing she remembered was lying in her bed in Tien's arms and having the need to sneeze and trying to suppress it. "Rats!" She sputtered as she realized that she must have failed and therefore Ranchi had appeared. She ran a shaky hand through her blond tresses and then looked down at the note sitting upon the journal. She frowned as she recognized the looping handwriting of Ranchi.

'What is this?' She wondered and she opened the page to read the words written inside. She stared at the letter a few times, rereading it a couple of times before she placed it on the dresser and grabbed up the journal book. She searched through it to see if there was more written but there was not.

So she wasn't alone after all. The innocent naïve blue haired Ranchi knew that they were two people as well. How long had Ranchi known? Ranchi wasn't her real name, it couldn't be. She wondered if Ranchi knew their real names. Kushami had always known that her name was not really Kushami but it was better than having no name at all and she had forgotten hers long ago.

"Doragon." That was the name of the Dragon Star. Yet Ranchi seemed to think that their family name was Doragon. She frowned in confusion. She placed the book back on the dresser and then rushed to her bathroom to shower and change. There was no time to waste. If what Ranchi said in her letter was true then that meant she had to talk to the oldest guy she knew to find out if he had ever heard the name Doragon in relation to a family before.

She quickly showered and dressed in short cargo shorts and a green tank top. She put on ankle hiking boots and then she grabbed her box of capsules and the journal book and note left to her by Ranchi and then rushed down the stairs. "Tien!" She called but no one answered. "Chiaotzu!" She cried but again no one answered. She rushed outside but could see them no were. "Great!" She muttered to herself. She had no idea where they had gone to train but clearly it was one of those days where they may be gone almost all the day through. Tien and Chiaotzu sometimes did that to her and she had stopped minding it so much a long while ago but today it was inconvenient. She rushed back inside and scribbled a quick note for the boys.

I had to run a few errands. Be back either tonight or tomorrow morning. Don't worry about me.

Kushami

Satisfied with her letter she raced back outside and took out the capsule labeled 'Copter' and threw it on the ground. In a puff of smoke the beautiful red and silver chromed copter from Capsule Corp was visible. "Thanks Bulma." She muttered thinking of her friend as she climbed inside the cockpit and fired up the engines. Soon she was flying toward the little island that she used to call home. She just hoped that her trip wouldn't be a complete waste of her time. If there was anything that she hated it was throwing effort after foolishness.

She marveled for a few minutes over how clever Ranchi had become. Years ago the girl never would have written her that letter to communicate with her. Then again a few years ago both of them believed they were in need of a pretty straight jacket. She sighed as she thought over what she remembered from her dreams and what she had read in the journal. The Dragon Star was named Doragon so surely their family must have taken its name from that star. There was no way that star would have been named after them. Then there was the mess with her being two people. Two people! How had they become two people?

She sighed as she tried to figure it out. Finally she let the thought go and chose to enjoy the flight to Roshi's Island. She was relieved when she saw ocean at last. "Not long now." She told herself as she flew toward the small little island that had been a safe haven to her for many years. She was fooling herself if she didn't believe it was still a safe haven. She felt tears prickle her eyes as she saw the island and the house built upon it. She could return whenever she wished. That is what Master Roshi had very kindly told her when she had chosen to leave. He had seemed almost paternal then rather than lecherous. She hated him when he was a lecher but liked him when he acted paternal though she didn't want to admit as much to him.

She chose to land on the far side of the island away from the house and quickly did a double check to make sure she had her capsule case and the journal book and letter from Ranchi. Satisfied that she had all she needed to swiftly exited the copter and capsulated it. She placed the capsule in her pocket and then raced toward the house. She was greeted by the sight of Krillin and Yamcha waiting for her in the yard.

"Wow, Kushami, err how nice to see you again." Yamcha was the first to greet her in a slightly nervous way. He was confused to see a book clutched to her chest instead of a gun in her hand.

Krillin smiled at her. "It really is good to see you Kushami. Things have been kind of lonely around here without you. It's good of you to visit us."

She smiled then remembering why she had always liked Krillin. He really was a sweet guy. He was too sweet for her though. She needed someone who could understand her dark past, someone like Tien who had demons of his own that he struggled with. Maybe Krillin and Ranchi would suit one another though. She shook her head refusing to let herself walk down that trail of thoughts.

"It's good to see you too. Listen I need to see Roshi. Is he in?" She asked of them. It was rare that Roshi wasn't in. He wasn't called the Turtle Hermit just because it sounded neat after all.

"Yeah he's inside watching one of those aerobics shows." Krillin admitted to her.

She shook her head in disgust but still pushed past the boys and strode into Kame House. She felt a vague sense of nostalgia sweep over her as she looked about the place but then her eyes narrowed on Master Roshi ogling the girls working out on the screen. "Yo Master Roshi!" She said loudly and hoped that using force would not be necessary.

Within a minute Roshi cringed and looked away from the screen. "Kushami!" He exclaimed and then gave a slight chuckle. "Well it's good to see you. Did you come for a visit then?"

Kushami smirked and idly wondered if the old man was hoping it was just a visit or if he hoped she was returning for a while so that he could try some more lecherous tricks out on her while she was in her more naïve state. "Just a visit. I actually need your help with something pretty serious." She said to him. This got the attention of Krillin, Yamcha, and Oolong as well as Master Roshi.

"Oh what can I do for you then?" Master Roshi asked of her and his eyes narrowed in thought as she handed him the journal book and the letter. "I recognize this writing." He said thoughtfully. "It is Ranchi's, the other you." He said to her.

She shook her head then. "She's not the other me. We are just cohabiting." She said to him and when he looked confused she urged him to read the journal. Realizing it may take him a while to read the book she chose to go into the kitchen and cook the men and her something to eat for lunch.

As she prepared the food she felt a pang of sadness that she was not also preparing food for Tien and Chiaotzu. She hoped that her boys were alright and then reminded herself that Chiaotzu could cook a decent meal and that she hoped to be home in time to cook them a hearty dinner. She was oblivious to the strange stares she was receiving from Yamcha and Krillin when the delicious aroma of cooking salmon began to waft through the house.

She was unaccustomed to the distrust that the men had on their faces when she set the table and set the food on freshly cleaned platters before them. She frowned at them and then narrowed her green eyes until Krillin was brave enough to put food on his plate. She relaxed slightly as each of them put food on their plates but it was several more minutes before anyone was brave enough to take an actual bite of the salmon, rice, and steamed vegetables that she had made them for lunch. Again it was Krillin who proved himself braver than the rest of them and he took a bite of the salmon. His eyes widened slightly and then he looked to Kushami as he chewed the food. Slowly he swallowed and then smiled at her.

"Wow Kushami this is fantastic!" He exclaimed. "You really learned how to cook huh. Tien told me that you had but I didn't quite believe him." He then dug into his food with good cheer.

She watched as Yamcha and Oolong dug into their meals and agreed with Krillin that she had indeed turned into a fine cook. Master Roshi was the last to join them at the table. He didn't hesitate to begin eating but he didn't say anything about the taste of the food until he had cleared his plate. "Thank you my dear that was delicious. It was just what I needed after reading through that journal."

Kushami slowly lowered her chop sticks and nodded as she looked at Master Roshi. "I have questions." She said simply feeling somewhat shy for a moment. When Master Roshi nodded she asked the first question that came to her mind. "Have you heard of the Dragon Lord?"

Yamcha was the first to answer. "Hasn't everyone?" He asked. "The Dragon Lord and the whole of his clan died hundreds of years ago."

She frowned and looked down at her plate. "Doragon." She said the name. "The clan name was Doragon wasn't it Master Roshi?"

The older man nodded his head. "Yes it was Doragon. Some believe the star is named after the Clan and others believe that they were not natives of Earth but rather aliens who came from Doragon. Silly nonsense you understand but some believe in it. What is known is that the Doragon's had tremendous powers and the five great dragons served the Dragon Lord. But the last Dragon Lord was five hundred years ago and his line was believed to be extinct because the Dragon's were no longer seen." He frowned then.

"What do you mean believed to be extinct?" Krillin asked for those gathered around the table.

Master Roshi raised his eyes to Krillin and smiled gently. "There were rumors that girls were continuously born unto the Doragon line. These were just rumors. Or at least so most of us thought. But then the Dragons awoke. There is only one thing that will make them awaken and that is the Dragon Lord. But then after five years they ceased to be seen. No one has seen them since to my knowledge." He admitted as he stared at Kushami. "Yet if what is written in this book is true then I have a few theories."

"What is written in the book?" Yamcha asked.

"Yeah don't leave us out in the dark." Oolong whined.

Kushami looked from Oolong to Yamcha and then slowly nodded. They were her friends, amongst her oldest remembered friends and they had stood by her side even after she had shot at them. She smirked at the thought and then her smirk faded. "Basically both Ranchi and I have been having dreams but from differing points of view. Mine is from my point and hers is from her point of view. Long story short she and I were born as two different people and then when we were five we were taught and later urged to perform a song that was actually a strange sort of spell. It fused us together. So you see I am not a crazy woman, I am just two different women who have been stuck together way too long."

Yamcha chuckled then. "Right and we aren't supposed to believe you are crazy when you say stuff like that." He muttered and then turned his head away from her angry glare and looked to Master Roshi. "You can't really say that what she just said is true?"

Master Roshi scratched at his beard. "It would explain a lot of things." He said simply.

"Like the disappearance of those Dragons." Krillin supplied. "You said they were seen for five years and then they vanished, Master Roshi. Well Kushami said that she was five when she and Ranchi were fused together."

"Okay but how does that explain the dragons being gone for hundreds of years and then reappearing when she was born?" Yamcha asked of them, his tone clearly skeptical.

Master Roshi frowned in thought and then he looked at Kushami. "The legend of the last Dragon Lord says that his father and his mother were the last left of their clan after their vassals turned on them and slaughtered their clan. They were the last Doragon's and then they came together in marriage and gave birth to the last Dragon Lord. The Dragon's fell silent during his lifetime falling into slumber." He explained. "I would wager my favorite magazines that each generation of Doragon's after him only had one child per generation until your mother gave birth to twin girls."

Kushami felt chills race down her spine as she processed his words. "Then the song, it was really meant to fuse us together, to make the dragons sleep again by combining the split bloodline. But why would she do that to us? We were her daughters!" She felt rage wash through her. She closed her eyes and saw the green eyes of her mother ordering them to sing the song faster louder.

She slammed her fists down hard upon the table jarring the silverware and the plates as she unleashed a small portion of the rage burning through her. She felt tears of anger pricking her green eyes. "Were we just tools?"

The males looked uncomfortable. Master Roshi looked at her with aged eyes full of sympathy. "I don't think you were tools to her at least not at first. From what I read from Ranchi's journal your mother was tender with her. This shows that your mother cared for her and it seems that she cared for you as well but she clearly expects more out of you. Maybe Ranchi does too because she left you this letter instead of coming to me herself. She could have brought the journal and her questions herself but instead she wrote the letter to you."

Kushami felt bitterness sweep through her as a memory of her mother's voice flitted through her mind. 'Take care of Raisa. You are stronger than she is Kasia.' She shook her head then. She may be the stronger but what did that even mean? She had been a child trying to take care of a child. She didn't even really know if she had done a good job because she didn't know if Raisa was really alright. "Her name is Raisa." She said it softly but the men stared at her. When she noted their confused looks she clarified. "Ranchi's name is actually Raisa Doragon. Mine is Kasia." She liked the way her name sounded. Kasia meant pure and she knew that she wasn't really pure. She had stolen, lied, did what she had to in order to ensure that Raisa was safe.

But safe from what? She had no idea but something told her that the five dragons were not what she had been afraid of her entire life. She suddenly felt tired. The rage was leaving her and she found more confusion in its wake.

"You should rest for now Kusha…I mean Kasia." Master Roshi said to the beautiful blond haired woman. "You can take a nap in the guest room. I'll go over what I can of the history of your clan and see what else we can come up with." He promised her.

Yamcha chuckled as they slowly rose. "I have an idea. I'll go to Capsule Corp and talk to Bulma. She may loan us the Dragonball Radar and we can make a wish to see Raisa and Kasia restored to life in two bodies instead of one."

Kushami smiled at Yamcha and felt genuine affection for the man who was only a few years her junior. "Thank you Yamcha. I really appreciate that. Master Roshi I will take you up on your offer for a nap." She declared and then she headed for the stairs and the upper floor of Kame House.

Kushami took off her boots and then let her head hit the pillow. The last thought she had before she drifted off to sleep was the hope that she would wake up in time to go home and fix Tien and Chiaotzu dinner.


End file.
